European Union (Amendment) Bill

My Lords, this has been an extremely valuable debate which has exposed a variety of deeply held views. I begin by expressing my renewed gratitude to the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for the extremely constructive way in which she has sought to carry forward the discussion. As I said at the beginning, since the early 1970s, before we acceded to the European Community, debates on European matters were characterised by a cross-party nature and traditional party allegiances were set aside. That was certainly the case in recent years, as I have good cause to remember. I am not sure that today’s debate has borne out my prediction as much as I thought it might. My view—I speak purely for myself; other members of the Constitution Committee have expressed their own views—is that the constitution should be clarified in the Bill. We heard the commitments that the noble Baroness made on behalf of the Government and the aspirations that she expressed; some of them were inchoate but no doubt they can be clarified. As I mentioned, many noble Lords have worked in the vineyards of the hustings, in Parliament and elsewhere over many years to support the cause of Britain in Europe, and many public officials, some of whose alumni are in their places today, have sat up late at night negotiating on Britain’s behalf. All are equally aware of the necessity of maintaining public confidence. It is preferable that provision for parliamentary scrutiny is in the Bill, and in my view the best shot so far as been in the terms of the amendment. If that is not the case, it can be returned to at Third Reading. Such has been the widespread support for that view in this House that it is within our traditions that the opinion of the House should be sought. On Question, Whether the said amendment (No. 25) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 196; Not-Contents, 227.